CEDAR RAPIDS — The annual rumors are out there.
But Larry Niemeyer said Monday that he intends to coach girls’ basketball at Cedar Rapids Jefferson next season, which would be his 51st.
“As far as I know, I’m coming back,” he said. “I’m not planning to retire.”
Niemeyer holds an 854-323 career record, 520-232 in 32 years at Jefferson. The J-Hawks finished 12-10 this season after falling to Waterloo West in a Class 4A regional semifinal.
The nation’s winningest softball coach, Niemeyer needs 13 victories to reach 2,000 for his career.

One-to-nothing high school softball games are about to become much less common.
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has announced that the pitching rubber will be moved back 3 feet, to 43 feet, next summer.
In July, the National Federation of High Schools mandated the change, effective 2011, “to bring more offense to the high school level,” according to IGHSAU assistant director Joel Oswald.
Iowa is making the switch a year ahead of the mandate.
“I think it will be a good change. We’d might as well go to it now; we’re early …

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union announced Tuesday that the pitching distance for high school and junior high softball will be moved back from 40 to 43 feet for the 2010 season.
Jeff Linder reported in July, during the state softball tournament, that the new distance would be adopted by the summer of 2011. http://iowaprepsports.com/2009/07/25/softball-pitchers-moving-back-3-feet/
You can read this and other rule changes in the release from the IGHSAU.
IGHSAU Softball Rules Changes Effective Summer 2010
 
Effective with the summer 2010 softball season, the pitching distance for junior high and high school softball …

CEDAR RAPIDS — Chicagoans take a lot of pride in 16-inch slow pitch softball.
After all, the game originated there in the late 1800s with the 16-inch no-glove variety becoming popular in the 1920s. The Windy City has dominated the game since its inception.
Things haven’t changed as Traffic won the Amateur Softball Association Men’s 16-inch slow pitch A national tournament Sunday at Tait Cummins Sports Complex.
Traffic beat OBI, also of Chicago, 16-0, in five innings in the final championship game. OBI forced an “if-game” with a 9-3 victory in the first …

Cedar Rapids finally gets its chance to host its national championship. It’s just a year later than expected.
The city won a bid to host the 2008 Amateur Softball Association men’s 16-inch slow pitch Class A national tournament, but flooding of the Cedar River forced the event to Urbandale.
The ASA worked with local groups to secure this year’s event instead, and it starts tonight at Tait Cummins Sports Complex. First-round games begin at 6:30.
“We’re thrilled about it,” Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Director of Sports Tourism Mary Lee Malmberg …

Bill Blanchard’s journey began on the sandlots of Iowa City.
The next stop for the 63-year-old longtime softball player and administrator is a hall of fame.
Blanchard will be one of three individuals inducted into the ASA Iowa 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame on Saturday during the 16-inch men’s slow pitch Major Open and A state tournaments this weekend at Tait Cummins Softball Complex. The ceremony will be held from 12:30 to 1 p.m.
“You can’t really put words to it,” Blanchard said about the honor. “I’m speechless on one hand and greatly …

FORT DODGE — Three more feet in two years. Or maybe next year.
The National Federation of State High School Associations has mandated that all states implement a 43-foot pitching distance, effective the 2010-11 school year.
Iowa is one of a few states that uses a 40-foot distance for pitchers, and three of those states are making the switch in 2010, according to Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union assistant director Joel Oswald.
All college levels use a 43-foot distance, as does ASA.
“We will make that change in 2011, and after the softball …

We’re getting ready to start here. Charles City will be home. Interestijng development. Clear Creek Amana coach Jim White has elected to throw Michaela Fligg instead of Moriah Morrissey, who is 25-0 with a 0.14 earned run average.
Morrissey is playing first, while Fligg takes the mound. That’s not necessarily good news for the Comets. Fligg is 16-0 with a 0.69 ERA.
1ST INNING – CCA goes down in order in the first. Fligg shows some nerves in the first, committing a one-out error then walking the next batter giving Charles City …

Carlisle and Dubuque Wahlert are squaring off in quarterfinal round of the Class 3A state softball tournament at Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge. These two teams are a minority, wearing actual ball pants instead of the popular shorts.
Unfortunately, they are hard to watch. Carlisle sports the brightest yellow pants one can see. That shade of yellow really serves no purpose but to torture others.
Wahlert has white pants with blue pinstripes. Reminds me of my dad’s old 16-inch church league softball team uniforms for Immaculate Conception parish in Cedar …

It’s 6:40 p.m., 20 minutes until gametime. Cedar Rapids Kennedy at C.R. Jefferson.4A regional final. Winner goes to state.
Updating as we go.
Starters for Kennedy (15-23): SS Strait, LF Flesner, P Bielefeldt, 2B Smothers, 1B Jungjohann, RF Nunnikoven, 3B Gaffey, CF Holten, C Hahn.
Starters for Jefferson (28-5): LF Burger, 2B B.Madsen, SS Allee, 3B Jacobson, P Petersen, RF Naber, DH McInerney, 1B Yoder, C Burgart, CF A.Madsen (doesn’t bat).
A group of boys are tailgating up on the hill. We’re 16 minutes from first pitch, and a good crowd has already assembled.
Jefferson …